TOPIC: Shadespire

This is Games Workshop's attempt to break into the competitive miniature skirmish arena.

And because it's GW, this thread needs the following for those that need a safe place so you can show us on the dollie where GW touched you:

+++ TRIGGER WARNING! +++
:p
There has already been some discussion about it in various threads here, but if it becomes as big as it wants to be, it will need its own thread.

Gameplay was revealed at Adepticon, and showed the contents of the base game to contain Sigmarite Eternal Liberators and Khorne Bloodreavers. Three game matches are supposed to take 45 mins or less, so very fast resolution. It is a card and dice driven combat system with random objectives on a mutable hex grid board (get those heroescape tiles ready, guys! ). Apparently the card decks for each faction are customizable, so some strategy in deck building will be present prior to a game. Early remarks from those who played at Adepticon was positive.

GW has unveiled their first new faction for use in the game. Deathrattle Sepuchral Guard.

With this kind of a preview, it gives me hope that we will see at least a small amount of variety of factions at launch. Along with cautious optimism that they are designing all factions simultaneously. Such an idea is kinda huge, if true. It means less power creep and more balance (at least as balanced as anything can be considering the nature of asymmetric sides ) in the game so that it could be a seriously competitive game if one chose to take it to that degree.

Yeah, this game looks awesome. The new Death stuff (!!!) is the first new skeletons GW has done in like 15 years or something and they look bad ass.

It is definitely more of an X-Wing or Heroscape class miniatures game- but it is not prepainted.

Warhammer plus C&C is what FFG should have done with Battlelore instead of blowing it on Terrinoth or Game of Thrones. Both licenses were in house, WTF was the problem? Probably GW is at fault there because at the time it would have demolished WHFB but still.

The bar for me, on this kind of game (not counting Heroscape, of course), is Dungeon Command. So far, this doesn't look better than Dungeon Command. Although it does have dice.

But..but... Hex spaces !!1!11!!eleventyone

Man, I really wish dungeon command went somewhere. Yet another half assed product. By that, I mean the support for the product and how it was marketed.

I have no idea how good shadespire is. I've watched a bunch of videos on it, but it doesn't quite hit me as the product that GW is hoping to achieve. The people that played it give it glowing reviews. But, they also didn't do any deck building, which will likely be the thing that makes or breaks it on the quality of the design.

It's kind of just a big bit of marketing crap by GW right now. "Look at the potential this game could have. It's gonna be big!"
Usually when such statements of grandeur are made, it really isn't grand. :/

I want this to be a bad ass game, but then again, I was just as hyped for dungeon command too...

With this and FFG's Runwars Miniatures game, the two former lovers are going straight at each other's jugular.

No secret I'm in GW's bed, but trying to be objective I think Shadespire is going to end up being a more successful branch into a serial purchasing board game than Runewars will as a minis wargame.

Gamers seem to love being strung along on micro purchases. That market of people looking to get on treadmills seems to be larger than gamers looking to get into a big minis wargame. The camps are a little different. Minis gamers tend to only have a few main lines they can support. Board gamers, on the other hand, seem to be up for every and any thing. GW is tapping a larger vein with Shadwspire than FFG is with Runewars.

Now, I know these are two different types of games, so a little apples and oranges, but their success and strategy can be discussed because they are two giants looking to get into new markets.

All this said, I don't think this game is for me. I already have BB and DB for competitive hex/square based minis gaming. The only chance it had was if my son wanted in (loves stormcast) and he said he'd prefer to play AoS proper. We may look for that female fig as a single though.

I read that FFG included the Runewars base game as part of the Adepticon swag bag for the attendees that bought them. That's an expensive piece of swag...

It would be interesting to know how effective that strategy was. Will gamers decide to go in a little deeper already owning the base set, or does its inclusion as a 'free' gimme potentially lessen its value in some folk's eyes?

I understand AoS was all over Adepticon, so again, I'm curious if these free Runewars sets made an impact.